About the Author

Laura Machan is a Partner, Talent Acquisition Group at Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions based in Toronto, Ontario. Although she has been recruiting for quite a few years, she still gets a big thrill from calling someone to set up an interview and an even bigger thrill when she hears a happy dance as she tells them when their new job starts. Laura lives with her family in Oakville, where she has lived for over 25 years, and is a significant contributor to the Canadian Federation of University Women - Oakville and Women in Nuclear, Golden Horseshoe Chapter.

Contrary to popular belief, the summer is a great time to get a new job. Sure, hiring managers go on vacation but that does not mean that all activity stops. Business goes on and plans for the fall often require new skills and more people.

Summer is rich with networking opportunities. A bunch of my colleagues did the Ride to Conquer Cancer last weekend. Aside from accomplishing a tremendous physical challenge, they spent two days with 5,000 other riders, many of whom were on corporate teams. It is not hard to pick out someone wearing a team jersey of one your most admired companies and strike up a conversation about bike gear. It’s safe to say you have more in common than just saddle sores.

And let’s not forget sports tournaments. Whether you are at a charity golf thing or your kid’s soccer tournament, you will be spending time with people you don’t know. These are prime opportunities to learn about new industries, companies and jobs.

If you meet someone interesting, jot down a couple of notes on your phone. When you get back to your regular life, find the person on LinkedIn and ask them to connect. Mention where you met in case they don’t remember. The next time you see a job posted at their firm, you can hit them up for information.

Sometimes the conversation can turn serious pretty quickly. If you find yourself talking about your work and the person says “We should talk – give me a call on Monday”, then get their card and ask what time would be best. Do some research on the company and make the call.

Be ready. This stuff really happens. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked someone how they got their role and they start with “Well, it’s kind of a funny story…..”